Question Number: 32316

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 3/17/2018

RE: Competive Under 19

Sal Lopez of Fort Wayne, Indiana USA asks...

If a player kicks the ball in the air and deliberately heads the ball back to the keeper or gets on the ground and heads the ball back to the keeper and the keeper picks it up, is it consider a pass back and an IDFK is the appropriate action? Is the player and the keeper allowed to do that? He isnt kicking it back to the keeper and in the laws it doesnt say that?

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Sal
A player may not do anything to CIRCUMVENT Law 12 such as a trick to flick the ball up to his head or go to ground to head a ball on the ground.
As it is unsporting behaviour the player is cautioned and an IDFK from the location of the circumvention/ trick. It makes no difference whether the goalkeeper touches the ball with his hands or not as the offence has already been committed.
This should not be confused with the ball being in open play and a player heading a bouncing ball back to the goalkeepe.
I once saw a player control a bouncing ball on his knee by knocking it further up in the air to head it. Nothing wrong in that action

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

HI Sal.
Actually this is an INDFK offence for the USB misconduct of trying to get around the portions of the law that restrict that the keeper's use of hands in he can not pick the ball up on a ball deliberately kicked to him by a team mate.
They call this a circumvent and it is punished immediately from where it occurs subject to the special circumstances within a goal area. . The keeper touching the ball has nothing at all to do with it, it is the act of MISCONDUCT itself that is being punished, a the keeper is not held accountable, ONLY the player.
It is not an offence to head or chest or play the ball off your back, face or leg towards your keeper in free play. Only if the ball is lying on the ground and you drop down go to your knees to knee it or head roll it or when standing then flick the ball with your feet to your head. They really do not want you trying to get the ball unnecessarily into your keepers hands because it becomes unplayable to the opposition as it is within the keepers' possession.
Cheers
Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Peter Grove

Hi Sal,
The actions you describe do not constitute the offence commonly known as a 'back pass' offence. This offence is committed by a goalkeeper when they use their hands to touch a ball that was deliberately kicked to them by a team mate.

What you describe is referred to in the Laws document as using ''a deliberate trick to pass the ball (including from a free kick) to the goalkeeper with the head, chest, knee etc. to circumvent the Law.'' The fact that this is an offence committed by the outfield player, not the goalie, is reflected in the fact that the position of the IFK is where the outfield player was, whereas for the so-called 'back pass' offence the free kick is where the keeper touches the ball.

As this is a fairly obscure part of the law and involves a situation that is rarely seen nowadays, I think it might be helpful to go back to go look at the circumstances that led to the amendment.

The law prohibiting a goalkeeper from using his hands on a deliberate kick from a team mate was introduced in 1992. The scenario that led to it can be found in one of the 1990 FIFA Q&A's which went as follows:

''A goalkeeper kicks the ball to a player of his team. This player passes the ball back to the goalkeeper, who then returns it once more, either to the same player or another. This action is repeated several times. Should this conduct be regarded as time-wasting ?''

While in 1990 the advice was that the referee should be left to make his own mind up (including awarding an indirect free kick if he thought it necessary) in 1992 the IFAB decided to just outlaw the practice by introducing an amendment saying that a goalkeeper may not touch the ball with the hands if it is deliberately kicked to them by a team mate.

However, players quickly came up with ways to get around the new law (circumvent it). So quickly in fact that although the amendment had only come into force on July 1 1992, by July 24 of the same year, FIFA was forced to issue circular no. 488 to address the circumvention problem. I can distinctly remember that period and the main tricks used were exactly as you describe - either to flick the ball up from the ground to the knee or head, or to get down on all fours and knee or head the ball to the keeper. These were specifically addressed in the circular, which stated as follows:

''Subject to the terms of Law 12, a player may pass the ball to his own goalkeeper using his head or chest or knee, etc. If, however, in the opinion of the referee, a player uses a deliberate trick in order to circumvent the amendment to Law 12, the player will be guilty of unsporting behaviour and will be punished accordingly in terms of Law 12; that is to say, the player will be cautioned and an indirect free-kick will be awarded to the opposing team from the place where the player committed the offense.

''Examples of such tricks would include: a player who deliberately flicks the ball with his feet up onto his head in order to head the ball to his goalkeeper; or, a player who kneels down and deliberately pushes the ball to the goalkeeper with his knee, etc.

''In such circumstances, it is irrelevant whether the goalkeeper subsequently touches the ball with his hands or not. The offense is committed by the player in attempting to circumvent both the text and the spirit of Law 12, and the referee must only be convinced that this was the player's motive.''

The following questions were asked as a follow up to the above question...

See Question: 32318